THE RABBIT PEST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 61, 13 March 1907, Page 5

THE RABBIT PEST.

BEST METHOD OF DESTRUCTION

HOW IT WAS DONE IN MARL-

BOROUGH

A correspondent, -signing himself "Death on Bunny," : writes to the Christchurch Press of Monday last as follows.:—

"I see the settlers on the Peninsula are alarmed as to the possibility of their lands being* overrun with the rabbit pest. There is no doubt as to the rabbit being a great pest, but the question is whether a "Board and rabbit fence" is the best means of combating the evil. The colony's experience of Rabbit Boards and rabbit fences is that these, are not the success that they would, appear to promise for the reduction and prevention of the spread of the rabbit. The South Canterbury fence did not prevent the rabbit from increasing in South Canterbury, and it was only after the abolition of the Board and the adoption of stringent measures by the Rabbit Department that the pest was afterwards got under control. The Hawke's Bay Rabbit Board and fence has not been successful in -preventing the march of bunny in that district. Neither was the Awatere Rabbit Board and fence a success. When the Board was abolished ;the Marlborough District was badly infested with rabbits. About four years, afterwards the Rabbit Department did away with some of its officers, as there were practically no rabbits to-be looked after. What the settlers should do to get the upper hand of bunny is to stop all dogging, shooting and trapping on their properties, as these, only spread the rabbits all over the place. What they want is more inspectors to see that everyone is working properly. Thorough poisoning and the natural enemy will prove the cheapest and most efficient means of suppressing the rabbit. I have seen places in Otago where the rabbits were so thick, they could knock them over while driving along the public highway, and after a few years of thorough poisoning, you could hardly get a rabbit in a day's hunt. The same in the Wairarapa, where rabbits were ■_ swarming; after the advent of poisoning and the ferret the rabbit has been practically suppressed. Some years ago a manager, or owner, of one of the Marlborough runs (Mr Weld, I think) described in your paper how to reduce the rabbit and increase the sheep-carrying capacity of the property by following the recommendations of Mr Ritchie, of the Rabbit Department. That was by stopping the trapping, shco+inq: and dogging, ar>V! on tTio poisoning and ferret^ "